February 5, 2012

Whole 30 Wrap-up

I completed my Whole 30!! It was a very positive experience and I have been feeling pretty great. I lost 9 pounds which broke through my weight plateau, I feel more energetic overall and I've had better sleep. Take that last one in context, I do have a co-sleeping toddler. I found that eating full paleo really seems to have much more of an impact compared to when I gave up wheat last year, where I saw little to no changes. I notice a difference with no honey or maple syrup and limiting the amount of fruit I eat, especially dried. Even with those restrictions I don't think I'm eating anywhere near low-carb but I wonder how sustainable it will be in the long run. Sweet things tend to be a slippery slope for me even when I avoid all refined sugar. I also think there is a significant benefit to making sure I get raw, dark green leafy vegetables every day. I only had one or two days without a big salad, usually with at least some raw kale. The salads gave me a chance to be more creative so they didn't all taste the same, and really helped cravings. I do look forward to allowing myself to "cheat" occasionally, especially in social situations. So far I've let myself have a "carb up" day this past Friday. I had almond flour pancakes (with a tiny amount of maple syrup), bacon (which I had been avoiding because of the sugar), roasted white potatoes and some coconut milk ice cream. Of course I also ate salads, other vegetables and some meat that day too. Only the bacon seemed to give my stomach trouble. Maybe it was just too much of a sugar/salt/fat punch and I need to take it slower? For my current plan I would like to keep eating clean paleo but allow myself 3-4 small indiscretions a week, IE something sweet or starchy. I can't decide if it's better to keep them all in one day or spread them out. I'll just have to wait and work it out as I go.